Pre-service Teachers’ Assumptions about Latino/a English Language Learners in Mathematics

Abstract

We share data collected from 51 pre-service elementary mathematics teachers who were asked about teaching mathematics to English Language Learners (ELLs) who moved to the U.S. from Central America and China. We describe three critical misconceptions held by pre-service teachers (e.g., differential treatment of ELLs based on country of origin, isolation rather than community, and outsourcing to meet ELL needs) and discuss implications for teacher preparation and professional development to better equip teachers to teach mathematics to Latino/a students.